In the present art area of fuel trailers and fuel equipment offerings, models, and options, the same types and styles have remained largely unchanged leaving demand for an intermediate size solution that offers versatility and still complies with federal regulations unfulfilled. Presently, if a consumer for personal use, business for commercial use, or government and military buyer for their uses needs a mobile fueling trailer, their options are limited to small 5-gallon style jugs and cans or 14-20 gallon size gravity fed tanks typically mounted on dolly-type 2-wheel platforms, small 4-wheel wagons and pull carts, auxiliary tanks permanently installed into the bed of single vehicle pickup trucks, or multi-hundred gallon 1000 gallon capacity single tank trailers predominantly found and used in the agriculture industry. The lack of mobile fueling solutions available in between the small container sizes up to the larger 1000 gallon sizes represents a significant gap in the present prior art.
If one needs to transport fuel in a storage tank or tank trailer for use in commerce, operators transporting different types of fuels such as gasoline and diesel, are required by federal regulations to have a commercial driver's license and hazmat rating endorsement if the single tank being used has a capacity that exceeds 450 liters, approximately 119 gallons. These larger tanks are classified as bulk tanks or cargo tanks, depending on their size and use. Typically, the truck, trailer, or other motor vehicle being used to transport these larger tanks also has to meet the requirements of certain federal safety standards and additional regulations. DOT 406 and similar variations of the 406 indication are the most commonly known cargo tank regulations and specification requirements in the petroleum equipment and fuel transport industry regarding the types of tanks used to transport flammable liquids such as gasoline.
In most states, gasoline and similar types of fuels are not to be transported for use in commerce in containers larger than 5-gallon capacity sizes, or other similar small capacity sizes. Whereas, if a fuel tank container or fuel tank motor vehicle is purchased from a manufacturer with a DOT special permit, operators are exempt from needing a DOT 406 tank or cargo tank vehicle when transporting fuel in the present invention with multiple non-manifolded fuel tanks on a trailer with single tank capacities under 450 liters or 119 gallons.
An example of potential prior art in the market can be found at: http://thundercreek.com/products/multi-tank-trailers.html
Similar to other larger capacity, single tank fuel trailer models on the market, this prior art example has many of the same features, specifications, and characteristics that make it obviously and significantly different than the present invention when examined by operators and other individuals familiar with fuel transport equipment and hazardous material requirements. Common in the prior art are the use of a trailer to transport fuel, the use of a fuel pump, the common style of discharge hose reel, hose, and nozzle, as well as the use of a grounding cable reel which prevents static spark discharge between fuel trailer and vehicle or equipment being fueled. The ground cable is clipped onto the metal frame of a vehicle to ground that vehicle and the fuel trailer together before touching the metal nozzle to the fill port on the vehicle. Also common in the prior art is the use of a filtration system which removes all particulates, debris, water, and other unwanted elements in the fuel, tank, or other areas before fuel is discharged into the vehicle or equipment being filled up. Different types of filters are commonly available and known to remove/filter different elements.